Cash register mechanism

ABSTRACT

A register mechanism operates in conjunction with an information storage unit to (a) allow a transfer to the storage unit of information entered on the keyboards of the register (b) indicate on an audit tape the entered information and that the data has been correctly transferred to the storage unit and (c) indicate on an audit tape the entered data only.

United States Patent [191 Englund et al.

CASH REGISTER MECHANISM Inventors: Gosta Roland Englund, Stockholm;

Claes-Goran Lindelow, Taby; Bengt Ragnar La Motte, Solna, all of SwedenSvenska Dataregister AB, Solna, Sweden Filed: May 3, 1971 Appl. No.:139,614

Assignee:

Foreign Application Priority Data May 4, 1970 Sweden 6061/70 US. Cl.235/153 R, 235/61 PB Int. Cl. G06f 11/00 Field of Search 340/1461 R,146.1 AJ,

340/1461 AB, 345; 235/153, 61 PB, 61 PE References Cited UNITED STATESPATENTS 10/1963 Greene 340/1461 [451 Sept. 25, 1973 3,265,874 8/1969Soule, Jr. 340/1461 3,526,875 9/1970 Jourdan 340/1461 3,576,433 4/1971Lee et al..... 340/1461 Primary Examiner-Charles E. AtkinsonAttorney-Norman Friedman, Stephen E. Feldman, Arthur T. Groeninger andMorris 1. Pollack 5 7] ABSTRACT A register mechanism operates inconjunction with an information storage unit to (a) allow a transfer tothe storage unit of information entered on the keyboards of the register(b) indicate on an audit tape the entered information and that the datahas been correctly transferred to the storage unit and (c) indicate onan audit tape the entered data only.

1 Claim, 6 Drawing Figures PAIE IEnsms-mz,

sum 1 or s F I G. 1

FIG. 2

CASH REGISTER MECHANISM The present invention relates to businessmachines such as cash registers, accounting machines and the like whichare connected to a central unit via a terminal system. For instance,said central unit can be a data computer or just an information storingunit. In particular, this invention relates to a method and to a system,respectively, for indicating if information transferred in electricalform from a business machine of the abovementioned kind to aninformation supporting unit positioned at a distance from said businessmachine has been correctly received or not.

In such an arrangement wherein a number of cash registers, via aterminal system, are connected to a central unit containing aninformation storing unit, it is desirable to provide an audit striparranged in the cash register not only with information concerningamount, department, custom No. and the like but also, to indicate ifthis information has been correctly transferred or not. Thereafter, forinstance at the end of the day, the audit strip can be checked, wherebyinformation not correctly transferred can be eliminated so that thecorrect information thereafter can be conveyed into the centralinformation storing unit. It is of course also possible to provide theaudit strip with particular control marks to indicate incorrectlytransferred information. However, it has appeared to be more suitable toprovide the audit strip with particular control marks in connection withcorrectly transferred information. According to this, the absence of amark will serve to indicate the presence of an error in the output meansof a cash register, or on the transferring connection, or in the inputmeans of the central unit. The present invention is directed toapparatus and means for providing and detecting the above-mentionederror indications.

In the following the invention will be described in more detail in aparticular embodiment taken in connection to the appended drawings onwhich;

FIG. I is a schematic diagram of an arrangement wherein information istransferred between cash registers and a central unit;

FIG. 2 is an enlargement of one of the cash registers shown in FIG. 1;

FIG. 3 is a perspective view of a printing device according to theinvention with certain parts taking up a second position;

FIG. 4 is a detail view of the printing station;

FIG. 5 is a side view of one part of the device shown in FIG. 3 whereinthe parts mentioned in connection to FIG. 3 take up a first position;

FIG. 6 is a side view corresponding to FIG. 5 but with the mentionedparts taking up a third position.

FIG. 1 schematically illustrates in block form an arrangement whereintwo cash registers 2, 2 via connections 4, 4' are connected to selectingmeans 6 in a central unit 8. Each of said connections 4, 4' consists ofone connection through which information is transferred from one cashregister 2 or 2' to central unit 8 and one connection through whichcontrol signals are transferred from central unit 8 to connected cashregister 2 or 2'. Furthermore, central unit 8 includes a buffer memory12, in which information from a cash register is stored during a periodwhen the correctness of the information is controlled by a controldevice 14 which affects a control signal transmitter 16. When theinformation has been found correct, the transmitter 116 emits a controlsignal, herein called release signal," to

the connected cash register whereby the blocking of said registeragainst a new start is abolished. Said blocking is present during aregister operation including information transferring to the centralunit 8. The checking of the information will not be described herein asthis checking can be performed in a plurality of ways, depending on thekind of information and on the chosen code for this information. Forinstance, the release signal can affect a solenoid, which in turnaffects a blocking means in order to abolish the blocking. When theblocking is abolished and thus, the cash register is free for newoperations, the electrical information flow to the central unit is alsocut off, since a device for transforming of the information in the cashregister into electrical form is also cut off or disabled. Thetransforming device, not further described herein may be of the kinddescribed in the Swedish patent application as published for oppositionNo. 3 I 9.637. When the flow of information is cut off control device 14emits a signal to an AND-gate 18, which operates to pass the informationstored in buffer memory 12 through to a storage means 10, where it isstored on magnetic tapes. In FIG. 2 there is shown one of theschematically represented cash registers 2, 2' in FIG. I. The cashregister is of a conventional kind and is provided with a keyboard 20,counters (not shown in the figure), an indicator 22 and a printingarrangement positioned in the left part of the register and containingan audit strip, which can be read through a window 24. Below window 24is arranged an opening 25 for the audit strip and to the right at thevery bottom of the front side of the register is arranged a button 26through which the blocking function of a new start of the register canbe manually abolished. For instance, this button can mechanically affectthe solenoid mentioned in the previous paragraph. The keyboard is ofconventional kind and comprises a set of amount keys in an amount bank28, a set of selector keys in a selector bank 30 and a set of mode ofoperation keys in a mode of operation bank 32 and a set of locks in alocking bank 34, said locks being designed for readingan zeroizingoperations.

Referring to FIGS. 3-6 the different parts of a cash register includedin the printing operation of the checking mark on the audit stripmentioned in the introductory portion this specification will now bedescribed. The audit strip 36 is arranged to be driven by a couple ofrollers, one drive roller 38 and one guide roller 40, and these tworollers countinously squeeze the audit strip 36 between themselves.Rollers 38, 40 are partly grooved such as at 42, for safer driving ofthe audit strip. The audit strip is driven over guiding rollers 44, 45through a printing station, i.e., between a print hammer 46 and typewheels 4% and between the print hammer 50 and a flat holding-on tool 52(FIG. d). Type wheels 48 are supported on a shaft 54 on which holding-uptool 52 is also fixed. Between audit strip 36 and holding-up tools 48,52 which cooperate with print hammbers 46, and 50 is arranged an inkedribbon 56 is arranged, which however, for the sake of clearness has beeneliminated from FIG. 3. Print hammer t6 and type wheels 48 are designedfor printing of amounts, departments, mode of operations, etc. on auditstrip 36 and do not particularly concern this invention. These mentionedparts will therefore not be further described. A more completedescription of the this portion of the register and of the manner ofoperation for an audit strip printing arrangement of the kind partlyshown in FIG. 3 can be found in US. Pat. No. 3,296,961.

Print hammer 50 consists of an extended arm, whose one end is pivotallysupported on a shaft 58, which is firmly mounted in the register stand.One side wall of this stand is shown and indicated with 60. The hammeris provided with a downwardly directed part, which is bevelled downwardsand whose downturned end surface 62 constitutes a line shaped printingsurface, which cooperates with the flat holding-up tool 52.Alternatively, printing surface 62 can of course be relatively largerthan illustrated in the figures and cooperate with a print type whichcorresponds to any desired control mark and which is arranged on theflat holdingup tool. A spring 64 is attached to a tap 66 on hammer 50 soas to urge it downwardly as illustrated. The free end of hammer 50 isnormally hooked up by two hooks 68 and 70 supported on a shaft 72. Hook68 is spring biased in a counter clockwise about the shaft 72 by aspring 69 whose ends are attached to the hook and to a tap 71 fixedlyarranged in the stand wall 60, respectively. Hook 70 is in acorresponding way spring urged in a counter clockwise direction aboutthe shaft 72 by a spring 73 whose ends are fixed to the hook and to atap 75 attached to the stand wall 60, respectively. Hook 68 is arrangedto release hammer 50 in response to a control signal from central unit 8and hook 70 is arranged to provide a delay in the definite releasingoperation until the audit strip is fed a predetermined distance. As isapparent from FIG. 4 the two print hammers 46 and 50 are spaced fromeach other'a certain distance which means that the audit strip must bemoved a certain distance when amounts and similar information is printedby hammer 46 so that the print from the hammer 50 will be positioned onthe same line as the amount print.

Hook 68 is provided with a part 68b having a tap 76. Tap 76 meshes witha groove 78 in a slide 80 which is riveted to the movable core 82 in asolenoid 84. Solenoid 84 is screwed in the wall 60 by screws 86.Solenoid 84 is arranged to be actuated by the earlier mentioned releasesignal" from central unit 8 and thereby pull core 82 towards itself,whereby slide 80 moves to the left in FIG. 3 bringing with it the tap 76on part 68b. Hook 68 is thereby turned clockwise and releases hamvmer50.

The mechanism for releasing hook 70 consists of an angular arm 88,rotatably supported on a shaft 87, and on whose one end part is arrangeda roller 90 on a tap 91, said roller cooperating with a cam disc 92firmly arranged on a shaft 94. The shaft 94 which receives its movementfrom the main shaft of the cash register and is turned one rotationduring each machine operation. Arm 88 is spring urged clockwise by aspring 120 fixed to a tap 122 in the register wall 60. A continuedcontact between the roller 90 and the periphery of cam disc 92 isthereby assured. On arm 88 is arranged a tap 96 on which is attached onepart of a slide 98 whose other endpart is provided with a groove 100 inwhich a tap 102, arranged on hook 70, will mesh.

Cam disc 92, roller 90 and an arm 88 are also used for the driving ofthe feeding means'38, 40 for the audit strip. A tap 104 is arranged onarm 88 and meshes in a recess 106 in a disc 108 rotatably supported on ashaft 110 on which feeding roller 38 is firmly arranged and whose bothparts are rotatably supported in the register stand. On shaft 110, neardisc 108 is firmly arranged a blocking wheel 112 which cooperates with ablocking hook 114 rotatably supported on a tap 116 on disc 108 andspring urged against the blocking wheel by a spring 118.

An arm 124 is arranged to hook up hammer 50 and is supported on a shaft126. The arm 124 is also movably riveted by a rivet joint 127 to a testarm 128 so as to be movable to three different positions upon suitabledisplacement of the test arm 128. Arm 124 is provided with a part 124acooperating with hammer 50 and arranged to hook up this hammer 50 butalso functioning to block the downward movement of the hammer in one ofthe mentioned three positions so as to inhibit printing by the hammer50. Furthermore, arm 124 is provided with a part 124!) which in anotherof the mentioned positions cooperates with a part 6811 on hook 68 formechanically releasing the hammer 50 so as to allow printing. Finally,arm 124 is provided with a tap 130, which, when arm 124 takes up thatposition wherein part 124a prevents the release of print hammer 50, thetap 150 displaces an arm 132 supported on shaft 126 to take up aposition wherein the end part 132a of arm 132 is positioned in front oftap 104 on arm 88 (this is seen in the clockwise movement of the arm)and thus prevent the movement of arm 88 and thereby the feeding of theaudit strip.

Test arm 128 is provided with a projection 134 on which a tap 136 isarranged so as to constitute one point of attachment for a spring 138,whose other point of attachment is a tap 140 arranged on the stand wall60. The test arm 128 is thereby always spring urged to the left in FIGS.3, 5 and 6. Three recesses 142a, b and c in test arm 128 cooperate withthree corresponding guiders 144a, b and c attached to the stand wall 60for guiding the movement of the arm. A control curve in the form of adisc 146 supported on the shaft 148 and provided with a roller 150carried by a tap 151 cooperates with the edge 128a on test arm 128 andis designed to urge the test arm in a direction opposite the pull of thespring 138 i.e., to the right in FIGS. 3, 5 and 6, during one part ofthe machine operation, and thereafter release the test arm for movementto the left. The part 1281; of the arm 128 bears against a test disc 152fixed on shaft 154 after the arm has been returned to the left. The testdisc 152 is in the embodiment provided with two radially extendingrecesses 156, 158 of different depth and the test arm can thereby takeup three different positions with the part l28b bearing in one of therecesses or against the external edge of the disc.

Shaft 154 is provided with a gear 160 on the side of stand wall 60 whichis remote from test disc 152. Gear 160 meshes with a cogged part 1620 ona rack 162. Rack 162 is provided with rebent parts 164, 166 whichcooperate with projections 168 on a mode of operation rack 170 and withprojections 172 on a complementary rack 174, respectively. Furthermore,the mode of operation and complementary racks are provided withprojections 176 designed for cooperation with keys in the mode ofoperation bank 32 on the key board, see also FIG. 2. A key 178 is shownin FIG. 3 with key stems 180 and a projection 180a arranged on the sameend cooperating with projections 176 on the mode of operation and thecomplementary rack, respectively. The mode of operation rack 170 iscompulsary driven together with complementary rack 174 by driving means182, see FIG. 3. A more detailed description of the driving of the abovetype of racks in cooperation with keys may be found in US. Pat. No.3.263.915.

The above described test device consisting of test arm 128 and test disc152 as the most important components, is used in the describedembodiment to set arm 124 in three different positions corresponding tothree different kind of operations. The first kind of operation relatesto posts or data not to be transferred to central unit 8 and not to beprinted on the audit strip. The second kind of operation relates toposts which are to be transferred to central unit 8 and which are to beprinted on the audit strip. The third kind of operation relates to postsnot to be transferred to central unit 8 but which are to be printed onthe audit strip.

In FIG. 5 there is illustrated the first kind of operation, i.e., theoperation for posts not to be transferred and not to be printed on theaudit strip. The first thing that happens is that test arm 128 is drivento the right by roller 1511 on disc 176. Thereafter, racks162, 166 aredriven to a position for setting of test disc 152, wherein the externaledge of disc 152 is positioned right in front of testing part 1281) oftest arm 128. Thereafter, test arm 128 is released by roller 150 andpulled to the left by spring 138 until its part 128b bears against theexternal edge of test disc 152. During the movement to the right of testarm 128, arm 124 was rotated clockwise, whereby part 124a meshed withhammer 511 and raised said hammer 511 to a stretched-up position whereinsaid hammer 51) is hooked up by hook 68. Thereafter, when test arm 128moves to the left, arm 124 is rotated counter-clockwise to a firstposition wherein part 124a on arm 124 still is positioned below hammer511 and thereby prevents the hammer 511 from being moved downwards tothe printing position evem if hook 68 should release the hammer for sucha movement. In this position also tap 1311 on arm 124 affects arm 1312in such a way that said arm will be raised and whereby the end part 132athereof will be positioned in front of tape 1114 and thereby block thereceiving movement for feeding of the feeding mechanism, which movementwill be described further in connection with the description of thesecond kind of operation, see FIG. 3. The mentioned receiving movementperformed by parts 88 and 1118 also releases print hammer 46 whichprovides the audit strip with prints concerning amount, department, modeof operation, etc. However, this aspect of the register mechanism doesnot concern the invention and will therefore not be further described.When the receiving movement is blocked, the amount print is also blockedand the feeding of the audit strip will be inhibited.

FIG. 31 illustrates the second kind of operation including informationposts which are to be transferred to central unit 8. As mentioned abovecentral unit 8 returns a release signal to the cash register after theoperating cycle of the register is complete and the information has beenprinted. This release signal indicates that the information has beencorrectly received.

This shall also be indicated on the audit strip by the.

above-mentioned control mark.

During the second kind of operation, test arm 128 is driven in the sameway as during the first kind of operation, i.e., to the right by roller1511 on disc 146, whereafter rack 162 via gear 1611 sets test disc 152in a position where recess 156 is positioned right in front of part 128kon test arm 128. Thereafter, roller 1511 releases test arm 128 formovement to the left, whereby the testing part 128b falls into recess156. Thereby, arm 124 takes up the second position, i.e., the positionshown in FIG. 3. When test arm 128 was moved to the right, hammer 58, asdescribed above, was raised and hooked up in a raised-up position byhook 68. When test arm 128 thereafter moves to the left and arm 124 isrotated counter clock wise around shaft 126, part 124a is rotated out ofthe path of movement of hammer 1511 so that hammer 511, when releases byhook 68 and 70 can be moved downwards.

When arm 124 is moved counter clockwise, tap 1311 releases arm 132 whichfalls downwards against a stopping means 1711. The blocking of thereceiving movement for the feeding of the audit strip is therebyabolished and feeding of the audit strip can be performed. This feedingis performed in a following way: curve disc 92 rotated one revolutionduring the operation cycle of the register permits, during one part ofthe revolution, roller 911 on arm 88 to take up a position in recess 93.Thereby, arm 88 is rotated clockwise by spring 1211 and causes part 1118supported on shaft 1111 to move to the right which in turn causes theblocking hook 114 to move one step to the right on the blocking wheel112. Thereafter, when curve disc 92 once again forces roller 911 up onthe external periphery and arm 88 thereby is rotated counter clockwise,blocking hook 114 engages blocking wheel 112 in such a way that this andthereby also feeding roller 38 is rotated one feeding step. Asdescribed-above feeding is not performed until amount, department andsimilar information have been printed by hammer 46.

When the operation cycle of the register is finished and thetransferring of information to central unit 8 has been performed, onlythe releasing of the print hammer 511 remains. This releasing isperformed when the cash register receives the release signal fromcentral unit 8 The release signal is coupled to the solenoid 84 which inresponse to said release signal operates to pull the movable core 82towards itself, whereby arm 811 is moved to the left, thereby causinghook 68 to be rotated clockwise via recess '78 and tap 76 so that hammer511 will be released. The control mark, in this embodiment in the formof a minus sign, but which of course could be of any desired form atall, is thereby printed on the same line of the audit strip as thecorresponding previously printed information concerning amount,department, etc.

The third kind of operation relates to posts which depending on thechosen system of cash registers are not to be transferred to the centralunit but are to be printed on the audit strip.

When test arm 128 is moved to the right during this third kind ofoperation, as shown in FIG. 6, test disc 152 is set, by rack 162 viagear 1611 and shaft 154, to a position wherein recess 158 is positionedright in front of part 128b on testarm 128. Thereafter, when test arm128 is moved to the left, part 128b will fall into recess 158 andthereby set arm 124 in the previously mentioned second position as shownin FIG. 3. This is accomplished by the use of an additional roller 153which is arranged on disc 146, and supported on a tap 155. The roller153 is positioned at a distance from shaft 148 which corresponds to thedepths of recess 156, before the receiving movement of the audit striphas begun and thus, before arm 88 has been rotated clockwise and beforehook 711 has been moved to the right to the position wherein it blockshammer 50, the

roller 153 bears against part 128a on test arm 128 and thus prevents thepart l28b from completely falling into recess 158. When hook 70 hastaken up its blocking position below hammer 50, roller 153 on disc 146releases test arm 128 which therefore moves to the left to the thirdposition determined by recess 158 in test disc 152. In this position arm124 has been rotated counter clockwise so fas that part l24b affectspart 680 on hook 68 and presses the hook clockwise with the result thathook 68 releases hammer 50 for downwards movement. Thus, during thethird kind of operation a completely mechanical releasing of hammer 50is received without the aid of a release signal from the central unit 8to effect energization of the solenoid 84.

What is claimed is:

l. A register mechanism having means for keyboard entry of data andproviding different modes of operation for printing of the data on anaudit strip and for the transfer of said data to a remote storage unit,comprismg:

means including an audit strip for printing thereon data entered via thekeyboard operation of the register and a control sign printed thereon inresponse to the transfer of said data to a storage unit;

a test arm having two end portions and movable between three separatepositions respectively corresponding to a register mode of operation toeffect transfer of key-board entered data to (l) a storage unit, (2) aprint-out on an audit strip and to a storage unit, and (3) to aprint-out to an audit strip only;

a first blocking pawl;

a print hammer normally operative to effect printing of said controlsign on said audit strip;

a solenoid having a movable core member coupled to said first blockingpawl, and operative in response to a control signal from said storageunit;

means coupling said print hammer to said first blocking pawl such thatsaid hammer is inhibited against movement to a position for printing onsaid audit strip, said blocking of said print hammer movement beingreleased in response to the operation of said solenoid;

feeding means coupled to said audit strip means for advancing said auditstrip a predetermined distance after the printing of said keyboardentered data on said audit strip;

a second blocking pawl;

means coupling said second blocking pawl to said feeding means and saidprint hammer for blocking said hammer against movement to its printingposition during the advancement of said audit strip after the printingof said keyboard entered data, the blocking of said print hammer beingreleased after the advancement of said audit strip;

test disc means coupled to said test arm and responsive to a selectedmode of operation of the register to cause said test arm to move to oneof its separate positions,

said test disc means being provided with two slots of different depthsand extending from the periphery of the disc radially inward toward thedisc center;

means coupling said test disc to said test arm such that one end portionof said test arm is engageable with the periphery of said test disc inthe first test arm position, and receivable in one and the other of saidtwo slots with the test arm in said second and third positionsrespectively, the other end portion of said test arm being coupled tosaid first blocking pawl to cause a release of the blocking of saidprint hammer absent the operation of said solenoid with said test arm insaid third position and after movement of said audit strip saidpredetermined distance;

said test arm in said first position blocking the movement of said printhammer to its printing position and said test arm in said secondposition allowing the movement of said print hammer toward its printingposition.

1. A register mechanism having means for keyboard entry of data andproviding different modes of operation for printing of the data on anaudit strip and for the transfer of said data to a remote storage unit,comprising: means including an audit strip for printing thereon dataentered via the keyboard operation of the register and a control signprinted thereon in response to the transfer of said data to a storageunit; a test arm having two end portions and movable between threeseparate positions respectively corresponding to a register mode ofoperation to effect transfer of key-board entered data to (1) a storageunit, (2) a print-out on an audit strip and to a storage unit, and (3)to a print-out to an audit Strip only; a first blocking pawl; a printhammer normally operative to effect printing of said control sign onsaid audit strip; a solenoid having a movable core member coupled tosaid first blocking pawl, and operative in response to a control signalfrom said storage unit; means coupling said print hammer to said firstblocking pawl such that said hammer is inhibited against movement to aposition for printing on said audit strip, said blocking of said printhammer movement being released in response to the operation of saidsolenoid; feeding means coupled to said audit strip means for advancingsaid audit strip a predetermined distance after the printing of saidkeyboard entered data on said audit strip; a second blocking pawl; meanscoupling said second blocking pawl to said feeding means and said printhammer for blocking said hammer against movement to its printingposition during the advancement of said audit strip after the printingof said keyboard entered data, the blocking of said print hammer beingreleased after the advancement of said audit strip; test disc meanscoupled to said test arm and responsive to a selected mode of operationof the register to cause said test arm to move to one of its separatepositions, said test disc means being provided with two slots ofdifferent depths and extending from the periphery of the disc radiallyinward toward the disc center; means coupling said test disc to saidtest arm such that one end portion of said test arm is engageable withthe periphery of said test disc in the first test arm position, andreceivable in one and the other of said two slots with the test arm insaid second and third positions respectively, the other end portion ofsaid test arm being coupled to said first blocking pawl to cause arelease of the blocking of said print hammer absent the operation ofsaid solenoid with said test arm in said third position and aftermovement of said audit strip said predetermined distance; said test armin said first position blocking the movement of said print hammer to itsprinting position and said test arm in said second position allowing themovement of said print hammer toward its printing position.